I have lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains for 37 years and have experienced fires, earthquakes, mudslides, etc. Fire season is coming up and we as property owners must be proactive in protecting our homes and our environment before a situation becomes dangerous and out of control. We need to take action, as it is up to us as individual homeowners to work together. We all must do our “due diligence.” We cannot hope “somebody” else will report a dangerous situation.

Norlyn Wade

Los Gatos

Can’t sell your mansion? Boo-hoo

Boy, those self-absorbed saps who are losing jobs, homes, etc. in this difficult economy really annoy me. All that whining and carrying on when there are actually people right here locally who can’t sell their mansions! Even worse, some folks can’t spend their days riding bikes on miles of trails in paradise, or their nights watching sunsets. I had no idea.

Good thing I read “Trapped in their homes” (Page 1A, May 3). Seeing it definitely put things in perspective and showed me just how critical this problem is.

People living in shelters and tent cities really need to lighten up. Don’t they know how fortunate they are?

Ana Gambina

Hollister

Immigrants’ labor built this country

In response to “Birth should not bring citizenship” (Letters, May 4), who are we to say that children from immigrant parents should not be granted citizenship? This country had been build under the labor of immigrants.

I came here illegally with my family and I have a U.S. citizen brother. I respect and salute this country. I filed, with my family, to be residents under asylum, and it was granted. I went to Santa Clara University for my bachelor’s degree and currently enrolled for the MSW program at San Jose State University.

My brother is currently enrolled in high school and taking advanced courses. It took him dedication and persistence at school to be where he is now. Instead of criticizing the immigrant communities, focus on other concerns that are really challenging this great nation.

Carmen Rivera

Milpitas

Valley companies, are you paying?

My opinion may be viewed by some as being naive or by others as treasonous but I believe that there is nothing inherently sacred about Silicon Valley businesses. Valley businesses should pay their fair share of taxes just like every other good citizen of the United States.

If any of these local companies are using devious or unethical accounting practices or offshore tax shelters to avoid paying their fair share they should be treated just like any old fashioned “smokestack” industry or cabal of investment bankers attempting a similar scam.

Charles Chew

San Jose

Corporations pass taxes to consumers

Our current tax system penalizes corporations if they repatriate offshore earnings by taxing them at the 35 percent U.S. corporate tax rate. This is among the highest in the industrialized nations. This encourages them to ship jobs offshore where taxes are less than a third of the U.S. rate. Our high corporate rate deters foreign companies from establishing and/or expanding work centers here.

Obama’s answer, contrary to his pledge not to stifle the economy by raising taxes, is to tax offshore income at the U.S. corporate rate of 35 percent. A better approach is to lower our tax rate to compete with offshore rates. This has the impact of encouraging corporations to expand here rather than offshore. It also encourages establishment and expansion of foreign corporations on U.S. soil.

What Obama and the Democrats refuse to acknowledge is that corporations don’t pay taxes. Any tax levied on them is simply added to the cost of business and passed along to the consumer. If Obama’s egregious “tax reform” is adopted, consumers will pick up the tab.

Fred Loew

Santa Clara

Proposition 1D takes away from children

Thank you for supporting “no” on Proposition 1D (Editorial, April 19). A yes vote would take away $1.6 billion in FIRST 5 funds helping young children by providing health insurance; early childhood education for teachers; parenting skills and domestic violence workshops and more. In the last 1½ years in our FIRST 5 collaborative in the Mountain View area, we’ve been able to provide 300 parents with parenting workshops; 400 families with mental health screenings and support; 200 families with therapeutic services; and 300 families with resources for housing, health care and basic needs. If 1D passes, our local program and others would be eliminated. The loss to young children, families and community would be shameful.

Three women have told the New York Times that music mogul Russell Simmons raped them, the latest in a cascade of serious allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful men in entertainment, media, politics and elsewhere.

Last month, Texas-based Cold River Records filed a lawsuit against the company’s former artist, alleging Armiger’s on-air commentary constituted a breach of a non-disparagement agreement included in the settlement of a previous 2016 lawsuit between the two parties.